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Church or Ekklesia?

So many churches out there. All following manmade traditions and commands from within. What if I told you that this is not what Jesus had in mind? Yes. God still works in it and through it, but not as much as if He were given full reign.

MAN made the church structure. Man once again, became a god unto himself in the desire to serve god through the human, church style, traditions. Every tradition manages a poor exegesis of scriptures to prove why their church is following the scriptures. But they are still missing the point of it all. Church was used in the scriptures cause King James ordered them to use the word church. After all, as the head of the church of England, he had the power over the church and the country. And I can guarantee you that with him as the head of the church, they could use scriptures to prove his divine right to rule. Something that never existed in this capacity except in the flawed ideas of power hungry humans. Church itself has, in many ways, also become about control. Some to a lesser extent, some to a greater extent. But Jesus didn’t come to make a building, or a gathering like we have them now. Jesus came to make something radically different. In fact, there is one way alone, that no one seems to catch, listed in the Bible as to be done done as our gathering together. In fact, it’s one passage that people love to cite when they feel the church is going out of order. 1 Corinthians 14:26 is the verse we shall look into and begin peeling a tad today.

How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

This is the only place in scriptures that holds us to a very specific way of doing church. In fact, this comes through into almost contradicting itself a few verses down where it tells us to let the women keep silent in the church. However, that particular verse, unless I miss my guess, was because the women were running the men, and the children running the adults. Nothing to verify that guess. All I know is that it was a command for that time, and that particular church. Why? Because, if the women are to keep silent in the church, then why did the apostle Paul, who wrote that, elevate women to offices in the church? But I digress. So let us look at the differences between church and Ekklesia and why “Church” can have all the authority that is denied to the members of the Ekklesia given us in the NT.

Church has positional authority and hierarchy to give it structure. And for whatever reason, people are willing to accept this and keep going. It is what they’ve been taught to accept as how to gather together with the brethren. However! It isn’t what Jesus intended for us. Look at the verse above for reference on that. In church, you have the hierarchal structure that is formed in the image of man, instead of allowing God to move through every individual as He seeks to do, He is relegated to the figurehead spot of the church. Which is all fine and dandy, until people refuse to conform to the church structure because it struggles against their spirit. In fact, when people allow their spirit to commune with and be led by the Holy Spirit, He often leads them away from such an understanding of the church.

In Colossians, I’m not sure where exactly, but it also alludes to this type of gathering. What if we let God Himself, through the Risen Jesus, lead the gatherings of the brethren? He would lead all, giving all to speak, in some form or fashion, by the Spirit. Church style stuff is people looking at a podium. Ekklesia is people ministering to one another. The five-fold ministry is available to ALL believers. For with the finished work of the cross, we are ALL made kings and priests. God may use you in a particular one more than another, but that is more dependent upon how God wishes you to deal with the situation. It is all about Him. You’ll note that we call it the Five-fold Ministry. Not the 5 ministries.

God has a plan for how to use you. To make you become just like Christ. But many who claim to be fully surrendered aren’t, so they can only serve God in the ways that they think matches their paradigm, or theology. You limit yourself and God, when you say “I’m called to this, I’m not called to that. That’s your ministry, this is mine.” All Christians are supposed to be fully surrendered to God, and to letting Him use them in every gifting and ministry as becomes needful. Unfortunately, these days, we prefer to sit in a pew, or chair, and listen to the guy at the podium. Can be a good thing. But at the same time, that’s church. That’s man made structure, instead of what God intended, and most are satisfied with this type of gathering.

Half surrender is just that. Half. Full surrender brings you to a place where He can and will use you in every way possible.

I’m NOT saying to ditch the assembling together of the brethren. I’m saying to do it according to the Scriptures.